Abstract

. Payment of environmental services (PES) is one of the mechanisms considered to be able to solve the hydrological problem in Way Semaka River Basin (DAS) which is one of the watersheds used by the downstream community for daily necessities and agricultural business. Currently, Way Semaka Watershed condition is physically damaged one of them because the protected forest area surrounding the watershed is damaged. Whereas protected forests play a very important role in regulating the water system, prevent erosion, produce oxygen and so on. This study aims to analyze the willingness to accept community (WTA) around protected forest area register 39 upstream through PES mechanism in order to restore downstream watershed condition. Samples were taken as many as 30 community respondents around the forest register 39 at random. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results showed that all respondents were willing to be paid for planting and maintaining trees in forest areas. The estimated average WTA value is Rp 14,000 per tree. According to the respondents, the willingness to accept this community must take into account the time, cost and energy in planting and maintaining the tree, especially the topography condition of the forest area is relatively flat. Therefore, the government in this case Protection Forest Management Unit (KPHL) Kotaagung Utara need to support the implementation of mechanisms PES in the area around the Way Semaka River Basin in order to solve the problem of hydrology and the welfare of the community around the protected forest by acting as facilitator to the downstream user community.